Not-So-Healthy Health Foods

There are many things that the American population has been told is healthy that simply is not. That, or the foods are much less healthy than they have been led to believe. This is more tragic than when people choose to eat unhealthy food, because when people try to get healthy with the wrong stuff, they are legitimately trying to improve themselves but failing for unknown reasons. By avoiding the wrong foods, you can be sure that all the dietary work you do is going towards making you healthier and stronger, not sicker and weaker.

Whole Wheat Bread

The United States dietary guidelines suggest 6 servings or more of whole grains a day. In reality, such grains can be beneficial when they come from the right source, but the most prevalent grain in our society is wheat. While wheat was once a healthy grain, it was modified in the 1950s to produce far more gluten and lectins, two types of protein which are harmful to the human body. These proteins are difficult to process and cause a host of health problems in many people, including inflammation and intestinal damage. People who are highly susceptible to these problems have celiac disease, and they cannot process gluten at all. Essentially all other people have some degree of gluten intolerance, but some people can handle wheat much better than others. But for those people between near-perfect tolerance and celiac disease, it is almost impossible to diagnose what is causing their health problems. Since whole wheat is said to be so healthy, many people don't think to look there, when it is often the chief cause of a problem. Worst of all, whole wheat is worse in some ways than white bread, because it contains more lectins. Brown rice, oats, quinoa, amaranth, and millet are ideal gluten-free grains.

Soy and Tofu

Soy, in the form of tofu, was the health craze of the 90s. Soybeans are high-protein and help with the absorption of other vitamins. But soy is only good in small quantities, and when it is fermented to remove the anti-nutrients in it. Unfortunately, soy is extremely prevalent in genetically modified, unfermented forms, and this leads to hormonal problems and fatigue in some people. Making the problem worse, isolated soy protein is featured in many foods nowadays, which is processed with hexane (a petroleum-based solvent) and not as easily digested.

Hiking Bars

There are many bars which people can buy for on the go eating. Such rectagular-shaped items have some good attributes, such as providing energy on a long hike, but they are often very high in multiple forms of sugar. Most of their energy-producing ability comes from sugar and not positive ingredients. Having too much sugar is linked to heart disease and cancer, and it is important to cut it out whenever you can. By avoiding these foods and eating high-quality gluten-free grains, nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, and Omega-3 oils (like hemp seed oil), you can experience remarkable transformations in health while still having a delicious diet.